Knowing God

I recently reread J. I. Packer’s famous work, Knowing God. As I read, I was reminded why that book is so well respected in Christian writings. Knowing God is more than just acquiring knowledge about God; it is about taking the knowledge you learned and applying it to your relationship and walk with God.

Packer says that knowing God naturally starts with knowing about God and the only place that we can learn about God is in his Word. We must be students of God’s Word, growing in it daily. In His Word, God has revealed His character and His ways. As we learn about Him, we also come to understand how He commands us to interact with Him and the world in which He has created us to live. We also need to learn to reevaluate ourselves according to His standards as sinful creatures in a fallen world. We must come to recognize that we are not strong and self-sufficient, but we are weak and sinful. And we are on a path to Hell without some intervention by God on our behalf.

Knowing God is about developing a personal relationship with God in which we surrender ourselves to God because He surrendered His life for us. Knowing God means we receive His mercy, actually plead for it. And we find peace and rest in Jesus work of the cross in which he forgives us for our sin.

Knowing God also requires that we become a disciple of Jesus Christ. It involves faith. I have always explained faith as not simply an assent to the Lord that we believe in Him and trust Him. It is also a commitment to Him through action. Faith is not just belief, although it is not less than belief. It is trust that actively rests in Christ and His finished work on the cross. It is trust that leads to obedience to the commands of Christ. Those that really trust Christ for salvation want to serve Him with all of their lives.

Knowing God finally involves a trust in the adequacy of God to meet all our needs and take care of us regardless of the circumstances or how things will turn out. Packer discussed the conflict that Paul presents in Romans chapter 7 that a believer has with sin in his life. Chapter 8 in Romans doesn’t take away the struggle with sin in this life. It only shows that God is with us and helps us to conquer temptation and struggle if we simply trust in Christ. We are more than conquers in Christ. Sometimes God takes us out of the circumstances that cause difficulty in our lives. But more often, God leaves us in the circumstances and goes through them with us. Regardless of which, we must trust God because we know Him. The climactic verse in Romans 8 is verses 28; God is working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose!

If you are reading this and you do not know God or have not developed a relationship with God as is described in this blog. Send me a message. I would love to talk with you about how you can be saved. Or if you are a believer that has not cultivated your relationship with God, dive into His word with the goal of knowing Him, learning to know yourself, and understanding how you fit into the world around you! Only then will you develop a habit of knowing God!

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Published by Anthony Langley

Anthony Langley is the pastor of the First baptist Church in Lepanto, AR. He is a devoted follower of Christ, a husband and a father of five. You can find his sermon at FBCLepanto.com He has a doctorate from Southern Baptist Seminary.
View all posts by Anthony Langley